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Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Auditory/Oral Specialist

Baby's ear

Learn more at these informational meetings

5:00-6:00 p.m., Thursday, January 24, Conference Room A, Business Center, Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL

Friday, February 29, ITHI Conference, Springfield, IL

RSVP information
Please (phone 773-405-3073) to RSVP to any of these meetings and to request any special accommodations

Maximizing auditory and spoken-language development in young children with hearing loss

This year-long, five course sequence of study aims to increase the number of personnel qualified to provide early intervention for Illinois children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Upon completion, candidates will have earned a deaf and hard of hearing auditory/oral specialist graduate certificate from Illinois State University and received the training needed to become credentialed within the early intervention system in Illinois.

This graduate-level program builds upon the current undergraduate curriculum in deaf education, which is one of two such programs in Illinois, and can be taken as a stand-alone graduate certificate program or included as part of the master's degree.

Admission

Interested applicants will be screened to ensure they meet the minimum requirements before they are encouraged to apply, including the following:

  • Undergraduate degree from an accredited university
  • Current deaf education, speech and language, or audiology certificate/licensure in Illinois (or completing licensure/certification)
  • Minimum one year successful teaching or related service experience
  • Evidence of disposition for advanced study

A maximum of 24 applicants will be accepted into the program this year. At the request of our funding agent, preference will be given to applicants from underrepresented populations and high-need geographical areas. Tuition scholarships and stipends will be provided to accepted applicants.

Locations

Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, Illinois

Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

Coursework

A minimum of 15 hours is required. SED 498 requires application of knowledge and skills with appropriate student populations. Therefore, students may be required to enroll in more hours depending on their previous experience.

The following courses are part of the curriculum for this specialist program. For details concerning a given course, please visit Illinois State University's Graduate Catalog. Download a Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Auditory/Oral Specialist Plan of Study (pdf).

Summer semester

Fall and Spring semester

Summer semester

Application information

This program will be available through 2010. The next opportunity to join a cohort will be July 2009.

Admission material must be received by April 15, 2008. Materials will be available at informational meetings or may be downloaded from the Web.

Graduate advisement

Learn about the advisement process for students seeking certificates.

About the program

This program has been designed to reduce the critical shortage of personnel trained to work in early intervention with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. It addresses the in-service needs of existing personnel to improve their knowledge and skills in two primary areas:

  1. enhancing the auditory and spoken language skills in the child; and
  2. developing competencies specific to working with infants and their families.

Beginning July 2007, Illinois State University will prepare 60 new personnel over a four-year period who will be highly qualified to work with families with infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The program utilizes an advisory board, the combination of classroom and fieldwork learning, and a network of mentors to support graduates in the field.

This certificate program evolved out of the IOI Project a unique partnership between Illinois State University, Oakton Community College, and International Center on Deafness and the Arts. It is supported by a grant from the United States Department of Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS: CFDA84.325K)

Questions?

For more information, please contact (773-405-3073) or (309-438-8988).